A report from a vigil at the house of Jaruzelski who introduced martial law in Poland 25 years ago

Radio Polonia ^ | Dec 13, 2006

[JoAnka]

We remember

We are standing here in front of the house of general Jaruzelski. It's just before midnight. There's a huge crowd of people who came here to protest against general Jaruzelski. It looks like there are several hundred people on this side of the demonstration.

There is also a small crowd of postcommunist and socialist activists who came here to support general Jaruzelski, unfortunately not available for comment. They say they do not speak any languages other than Polish and Russian. There are many elderly people among them and some young political activists. They're here to support the general because they think his decision was a responsible one. They also think that general Jaruzelski was a man of honor.

The several hundred people crowd that is here to remember the victims of martial law in Poland greatly outnumbers the crowd that is here to support general Jaruzelski. I can see people lighting candles. Some came here with posters saying "Jaruzelski, we remember your crimes." Some just stand here in silence remembering the victims.

Let's ask them why they're here tonight.

Karolina: 'My name is Caroline, I am here for the seventh time. I disagree that general Jaruzelski is a national hero. In my opinion he is a murderer. '

Damian: 'We are here to remind especially the youth about those cruel times, what Mr. Jaruzelski has done to the Polish nation, that he is just a murderer. I am a patriot and it's really important for me. It's one of the most important moments of the Polish history in the twentieth century, really bloody times.'

Helena: 'I am here to commemorate the things that happened 25 years ago, people that died and people persecuted for their beliefs. I think that simply that was wrong, what happened 25 years ago. My parents were in Solidarity then and now I am here. I remember soldiers on the streets, soldiers on TV, I remember that people were in prison.'

Ula: 'I think that we are all here just to remember those who died in the martial law. It's not even for general Jaruzelski but for those who lost their lives just because they were Polish patriots. Remeberance. I think it's also a symbol of forgiveness for those who had to kill their own people in their own country. '

Tymoteusz: 'I'm conscious of what happened 25 years ago. We should remind this guy, general Jaruzelski, of what he did. '

Rafał: 'We just came here to pay tribute to the victims of the martial law. I think this kind of demonstration can accelerate the process of punishment of Polish generals who introduced the martial law.'

Piotr: 'Basically I'm here today because I've lived most of my life in Australia. What happened in Poland tore my family apart, they've been sent to all sorts of places around the globe. We don't forget things like this and I feel like I need to be here today. We have to remember this. And we have to remember that it's still going on, really. I mean the Polish politics are worse than it seems on the surface when people don't have their attention turned away by stupid sex scandals. It's important to remember and it's important to keep the fight going cause this is not over.'



'What do you say to those people who say that the martial law was a necessary thing to do?'

Tymoteusz: 'I totally don't understand those people. There are some reports coming from the Soviet party headquarters saying that they had no intention of invading Poland. And the only person who was trying to convince them to do so was this guy, general Jaruzelski. They are simply not conscious of history, those people standing on the other side there. They are not conscious of what actually martial law was. Maybe they don't remember about all these victims, the people killed, the people in prisons, the people that couldn't simply express their opinions. Right now in our actually free democratic state, they can stand on the other side and say what they think. Twenty five years ago they wouldn't have been able to do so. My Godfather was imprisoned for five months during the martial law. He was just a guy trying to express his own opinion, he just wanted to live in a free state.'

Karolina: 'It was necessary for the Soviet Union. And if general Jaruzelski is a patriot, he is a patriot of the Soviet Union.'

Helena: 'Violence is never necessary.'



'What should happen to Jaruzelski now?'

Tymoteusz: 'A just and honest lawsuit, now when we are a free country. He should feel guilty.'

Rafał: 'His pension should be reduced and he should be an ordinary soldier, not a general. It's a great honor to be a Polish general. He doesn't have the right to bear this title.'

[Cacique]

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